30 French–English false friends you need to know
By Thierry Gustin
Published
Updated
4 min read
Contents
French and English share thousands of words, and that is a huge advantage. But some words look alike and don't mean the same thing: these are false friends (faux amis). Some cause simple confusion; others lead to very awkward situations. Here are the 30 that cause English speakers the most trouble.
The 10 trickiest false friends
| French | Means | Does not mean | "That" in French is |
|---|---|---|---|
| actuellement | currently, at the moment | actually | en fait |
| une librairie | a bookshop | a library | une bibliothèque |
| sensible | sensitive | sensible | raisonnable |
| éventuellement | possibly, if need be | eventually | finalement |
| assister à | to attend | to assist | aider |
| rester | to stay | to rest | se reposer |
| blesser | to injure, to hurt | to bless | bénir |
| un préservatif | a condom | a preservative | un conservateur |
| une déception | a disappointment | a deception | une tromperie |
| une location | a rental, a hire | a location | un emplacement |
Everyday false friends
- Un coin is a corner; a coin is une pièce (de monnaie).
- La monnaie is change (small coins) or a currency; money in general is l'argent.
- Une journée is a day (the whole day, from morning to evening); a journey is un voyage or un trajet.
- La chair is flesh; a chair is une chaise.
- Un raisin is a grape; a raisin is un raisin sec.
- Une prune is a plum; a prune is un pruneau.
- Une cave is a cellar; a cave is une grotte.
- Un car is a coach (a long-distance bus); a car is une voiture.
- Les chips are crisps (potato chips in American English); British chips are des frites.
- Un crayon is a pencil; a wax crayon is un crayon de cire.
- Une affaire is a deal, a matter or a business; a love affair is une liaison or une aventure.
- La figure is the face, as well as a figure.
False friends at work and in education
- Demander means to ask, not to demand (exiger).
- Un stage is an internship or a training course; a theatre stage is une scène.
- Une lecture is a reading; a lecture is un cours magistral or une conférence.
- Le collège is a secondary school for pupils aged about 11 to 15; a college or university is une université or une école supérieure.
- Un délai is a time limit or a deadline; a delay is un retard.
- Un résumé is a summary; an American résumé is un CV.
- Un agenda is a diary or planner; a meeting agenda is l'ordre du jour.
- Achever means to finish or complete; to achieve is réussir or atteindre.
You'll find more professional vocabulary in my guide to the job interview in French.
Genders that confuse English speakers
English nouns have no grammatical gender, so the hardest part is remembering that gender can change the meaning of a word. These pairs cause the most mistakes:
| Masculine in French | Feminine in French |
|---|---|
| le livre (the book) | la livre (the pound) |
| le tour (the turn, the tour) | la tour (the tower) |
| le poste (the job, the position) | la poste (the post office) |
| le mode (the method, the mode) | la mode (fashion) |
| le manche (the handle) | la manche (the sleeve) |
| le mémoire (the dissertation) | la mémoire (memory) |
As a general rule, French words ending in -age are masculine (le voyage, le fromage, le message), with a few exceptions such as la page or la plage, and words ending in -tion and -té are feminine (la nation, la liberté). Review how articles work in French articles.
What about "true friends"?
Not everything is a trap: most words that look alike do mean the same thing. Important, possible, la musique, la famille, la question, le restaurant… Thanks to this closeness, an English speaker understands many written French texts early on. The real challenge is pronunciation and listening, as I explain in how to improve your French pronunciation.
Frequently asked questions
What does "actuellement" mean in French?
Currently, at the moment: Actuellement, je travaille à Lyon. (I'm currently working in Lyon.) To say "actually", use en fait.
Does "sensible" mean sensible in French?
No, it means sensitive: Elle est très sensible. (She is very sensitive.) A sensible person is raisonnable or sensé(e).
What does "éventuellement" mean?
Possibly, if need be: On pourrait éventuellement partir plus tôt. (We could possibly leave earlier.) "Eventually" is finalement or à la fin.
What is a false friend?
A word that looks similar in two languages but has a different meaning, such as librairie (bookshop) and "library".
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